SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.

Friday, December 07, 2007

A report in The Independent this morning claims that the FA have interviewed Fabio Capello for the job. And in a move that will excite many in England, Jose Mourinho has been invited to London for talks about the post.

Not too many mouthwatering clashes this week. Manchester City's trip to Tottenham is of note, while the Aston Villa/Portsmouth match could be attractive. Elsewhere, Bolton and Wigan battle it out at the bottom.

Not for the first time, Manchester United are making plans to wear a new kit, but, if such an announcement would usually rile parents from Stretford to St Ives and probably all the way to Singapore, this time it is different. The kit in question, to be worn in the derby match against Manchester City in February, will feature old-style baggy shirts and shorts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster and, significantly, the club insist that neither they nor anyone else will profit financially from the exercise.

"Moreso, the moment I realized we didn't have the opportunity to win the gold medal, my world came tumbling down. I had nothing to immediately give back to my father. I was wound so tight emotionally, and the moment after the loss I broke.

David Peace's evocative novel juxtaposes Clough's whirlwind reconstruction of Derby County, a club he led to the 1972 title, with his ill-fated attempt to shake up Don Revie's Leeds United team in similar fashion two years later. The bare facts of Clough's 43 days in charge at Elland Road are well-known, but what happened behind closed doors remains unclear; Peace's fictionalised account attempts to fill in the gaps, as cheap booze, truculent players and the ghost of Revie combine to make the surprisingly sensitive protagonist's situation utterly hopeless. A whisky-fugged Clough smashes up his predecessor's desk with an axe; Clough tries desperately to bond with an unresponsive Billy Bremner over whisky; Clough swills so much - yes - whisky that he spends the night on the floor of a hotel bar.

Anderlecht look set to face the wrath of UEFA after cigarette lighters and even an iron bar rained down on the pitch in the closing stages with makeshift Spurs defender Didier Zokora being hit on the head.

"I played four years in Belgium so maybe they hate me," said Zokora, a former Genk midfielder.

Brad Friedel, the Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper, has created what he terms football’s first self-help manual, which some may think is timely, given the misfortune that befell Scott Carson against Croatia at Wembley and Paul Robinson before him. In it the American explains how to combat your problems, how goalkeeping explains the world and his hopes for a more ethical future.

Sam Allardyce and Newcastle United may not be heading for imminent divorce after all. Instead this gutsy and increasingly gripping draw against the Premier League leaders could come to be seen as a watershed in their relationship, the night when Allardyce began to win his battle for the hearts and minds of players and supporters.

It has been so long since Everton last ventured into Europe beyond Christmas that the competition in which they advanced no longer exists. The Cup Winners' Cup triumph of 1985 is the zenith of the club's achievement on the continent but new ground was broken here last night. For the first time in 23 years they can at least dream of emulating Kevin Ratcliffe's Rotterdam glory when winter recedes.

Tiny Lanús won the Argentina championship and are now one of only four teams in history to celebrate winning a league title at Boca's Bombonera. Meanwhile, in Brazil, giants Corinthians are going down...

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Steve Davis: Pro soccer works best in this country when it targets 20- and 30-somethings and ethnic audiences, influencers whose presence can create true happenings around game nights (over disparate cultures, no less). When it becomes "the thing to do," families and suburban singles will follow. That's the way our culture works.

Ancash were leading 2-1 when Viafara, who had scored their second goal, used his buttocks to bring a pass under control. This infuriated Universitario players who interpreted it as a mockery of their team.

Off the pitch Napoli, Juventus, Genoa, Inter and Lazio away fans were banned from attending matches. The bans will continue until ID cards are introduced later this month. Atalanta's north stand is closed until March. On the pitch Inter beat Fiorentina to remain unbeaten while Juventus and Milan failed to score.

Quite a blow, this. The Kid was just starting to get into the flow at Rangers and was getting a lot of minutes. It's especially sad since he was performing well in the Champions League.Beasley to miss rest of the season